This invention relates to supports for tubular members, and, more particularly, to supports for rotatably supporting tubular members.
It is a primary object of the present invention to afford a novel support for tubular members.
Another object is to afford a novel support for rotatably supporting tubular members.
Another object of the present invention is to afford a novel support for tubular members, which is particularly well adapted for rotatably supported tubular members which form the cores of rolls of material, such as, for example, rolls of paper or film used in the bag making field, and the like.
A further object of the present invention is to afford a novel support for supporting tubular members on rotating shafts, wherein the parts of the support are so constituted and arranged as to effectively releasably secure the tubular members to the shafts in a novel and expeditious manner for rotation therewith.
An object ancillary to the foregoing is to afford a novel support of the aforementioned type which is operable in a novel and expeditious manner to release such a tubular member from secured relation to such a shaft.
Various supporting mechanisms for securing tubular members, such as, for example, the aforementioned tubular members which may form the cores of rolls of paper or film, and the like, on shafts for rotation with the shafts have been heretofore known in the art. Such mechanisms have included cones that were driven or otherwise axially forced into the ends of such tubular members with a force fit, with the cones being secured to the shafts. Such mechanisms have also included spider-type expanding mechanisms that can be mounted on and secured to such a shaft within a tubular member and expanded outwardly into securing engagement with the tubular member.
Securing mechanisms heretofore known in he art for releasably securing tubular members to shafts for rotation therewith have had several inherent disadvantages, such as, for example, being complicated in construction and operation; being unreliable in operation; requiring repositioning or re-checking of the positioning of the securing mechanisms on the shafts when tubular members were changed; or being difficult and expensive to produce commercially, and the like. It is an important object of the present invention to overcome such disadvantages.
Another object of the present invention is to afford a novel support for tubular members, embodying a novel double-eccentric locking mechanism for holding a tubular member in stationary position relative to a shaft disposed therein.
Another object of the present invention is to afford a novel support for a tubular member for securing the tubular member to a shaft, and which support embodies an annular member having a flange abuttingly engaged with the end of the tubular member, when the latter is disposed in operative position on the shaft, and which annular member may remain in stationary position on the shaft when tubular members of the same size are being substituted for each other, so as to insure that, when the substituted tubular member is disposed on the annular member in abutting engagement with the flange, the tubular member is properly positioned axially of the shaft.
A further object of the present invention is to afford a novel supporting mechanism, for supporting tubular members on shafts, which is practical and efficient in operation and may be readily and economically produced commercially.
Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, by way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the principles thereof and what we now consider to be the best mode in which we have contemplated applying these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.